Review by DaisyThis is a collection of paranormal/horror short stories and is the first book published for the author who, interestingly, also wants to be a tattoo artist... The cover is quite dark and this shows us what to expect from the stories.

This collection shows the potential of this author, from loup garou to vampire the full breadth of the paranormal is covered. The first stories feel as though they have a link running through them and I wanted to learn more about the characters. Although different creatures, these reminded me in a lot of ways of Anne Rice's vampire stories - gradually working their way back through history and giving depth to the characters through this viewpoint.

As I continued through the collection I found that a lot of the stories felt like first chapters of novels rather than a complete tale in themselves. The stories at the end are good examples of this - in The Change we are introduced to characters and a full community with an alternative way of life and it stops just as the next step on the journey is about to be taken. In the Dark: The Beginning leaves us in complete free-fall; we have a main character who remains somewhat mysterious, friends, confessions and history and then it finishes!!! This is so frustrating to a reader - we need to know more, to be able to revisit a character in another story or format and to feel that we know them. The last stories do feel rushed after the art of the openers, a shame but I will look forward to seeing what comes next.http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-darker-side-leah-hutchinson/1108931595?ean=2940014528221